Being Mortal: Film Screening & Live Panel

Holt Room, Grace Cottage Hospital, Townshend

Free Screening of ‘Being Mortal’

Film Explores End-of-Life-Care in US

Seventy percent of Americans say they would prefer to die at home, but nearly 70 percent die in hospitals and institutions. Ninety percent of Americans know they should have conversations about end-of-life care, yet only 30 percent have done so.

Join us for a free viewing of the PBS documentary “Being Mortal” on September 7th, 4:30 – 6:30 in the Holt Room at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend. After the screening, audience members can participate in a guided conversation led by Dr. Bob Backus on how to take concrete steps to identify and communicate wishes about end-of-life goals and preferences. A panel of local medical professionals will join the community conversation.

This event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

“Being Mortal” delves into the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness. The film investigates the practice of caring for the dying and explores the relationships between patients and their doctors. It follows a surgeon, Dr. Atul Gawande, as he shares stories from the people and families he encounters. When Dr. Gawande’s own father gets cancer, his search for answers about how best to care for the dying becomes a personal quest. The film sheds light on how a medical system focused on a cure often leaves out the sensitive conversations that need to happen so a patient’s true wishes can be known and honored at the end. “Being Mortal” underscores the importance of people planning ahead and talking with family members about end-of-life decisions.

In February 2015, “Being Mortal” aired nationally on the PBS program “Frontline.” For more information about the film, visit Being Mortal on PBS Frontline . The film is adapted from Dr. Gawande’s 2014 nationally bestselling book of the same name. More information about the book is at Being Mortal by Atul Gawande .

The free screening is made possible by a grant from The John and Wauna Harman Foundation in partnership with the Hospice Foundation of America.